


Oil and Water

by Judayre



Series: Judy is Bad at Titles: the Modern AU [5]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Dating, Less subtle smut than I usually write, M/M, Modern AU, Still pretty mild though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-06
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2017-12-31 15:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1033425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Judayre/pseuds/Judayre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dwalin and Nori seem very different from the outside, but Dwalin doesn't worry too much about outsides.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Years

**Author's Note:**

> Timestamp: New Year's Eve 2012 and New Year's Day 2013

New Year's parties were one part fun and two parts chore. Dwalin was the only non-professional in the family, and even the ones who saw him regularly had trouble believing he made enough money to live on. So here he was in the one good suit he owned - the same one he wore every year. And every year, someone would ask when he was going to buy a new one as if he wore it more than once a year.

And why should he? Dwalin Durin was happily a manual laborer. He had a good enough education and was good enough at the math that he had risen in rank in the construction company, but he knew himself and his weaknesses well enough to refuse any position that would require significant reading.

His family guessed at the reasons, but it had been so long that he couldn't bring himself to confirm or deny any of them. So he was the failure of the family; the blue collar worker in a family of doctors and lawyers. And Dís, who did humanitarian work that centered around women in developing nations. Thorin blamed Dwalin for Fíli's desire to join the police force, and the fights had become so violent that Dwalin was almost surprised to have been invited tot he party this year.

On the other hand, it was his family and he always liked to see them, even when he didn't. He remembered when Fíli and Kíli were babies, and here they were in college. Glóin's son was finishing high school. Little Dís who followed them around was decked out like a princess, or at least a sensible one. No matter how close they lived, there was always something to catch up on, some new bit of gossip he would hear.

This year, the family employed by the law firm was at the party as well. Dwalin had met Dori a few times when he was working late with Balin, and he had done a job at Ori's college and knew him quite well. The boy was fidgeting at the side of the room, and Dwalin smiled as he went to rescue him.

Not halfway across the room, Dwalin caught a glimpse of auburn hair and the sound of bright laughter, and his intentions were lost. He turned to see who this unknown was and found himself looking at a slim man in a casual suit who was laughing with Glóin, Hida, and Dís. And if he could find something to make all three of them laugh, he was someone Dwalin needed to meet.

He slid into the group, pressed to the unknown man's side. After one glance, the man smiled welcomingly and leaned into his side. Dwalin risked putting an arm lightly at the man's waist and offered a drink from his own glass. The man accepted, eyes sparkling above the rim of the glass.

Intent was stated not long after and Dwalin spent the rest of the evening at the side of this man - Nori - nursing drinks and laughing together. Everyone participated in the countdown and cheered hen the ball dropped, and then Dwalin found himself kissed halfway senseless and not upset about it.

He felt drunk on Nori, and later he only remembered it in pieces and feelings. It was wild, rougher than he usually engaged in. He remembered teeth and hands; long hair around him; eyes sparking down into his, and he couldn't pin down the color no matter how hard he tried.

He remember it - remembered enough of it - and it was better than anything he'd had in years. Better than he could remember having before. And to wake in the morning in the guest room that was always his when he visited with Nori aggressively cuddling him was something he already knew had to happen again, as often as he could manage, for the rest of his life.

Nori was on edge when he woke, looking like he expected things to be awkward. This, of course, made things awkward. But Dwalin let Nori filch his tie, and then made breakfast for both of them while the rest of the house continued to sleep. They laughed together, even without alcohol, and Dwalin only wished they were at his apartment instead of the family mansion.

He learned that Nori worked in a school and that midterms were coming up. So the follow up date he was looking for got pushed two weeks down the line. He didn't even have to insist, and that made him grin at the other man, a grin that made him flush almost as dark as his hair.

Dwalin kissed him thoroughly in the doorway as he left, hands framing a narrow face, body close. Nori kissed back with equal fervor, fingers tight in Dwalin's shirt.

His last sight of Nori was of the man strolling out of the gate, puffing his breath out into white trails and grinning like a kid. And Dwalin was already ninety percent sure that this was the one that would last.


	2. Driving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Between New Years and their dinner date, Dwalin takes Nori for a drive twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentioned this in chapter 3 of Fire and Rain. Here is what happened to make Nori so happy.
> 
> Timestamp: the first two weeks of 2013

A public school was a very different place from his blazer and tie private school, but Dwalin still felt uncomfortable in heavy jeans with his heavy work jacket open despitet the cold. Not to mention pulling into a school parking lot when he wasn't part of the school. And then the fact that Nori had told him that with midterms coming up his schedule was too hectic for dating. He would probably think Dwalin was some kind of stalker.

Still, Dwalin leaned his long body against his small car and watched the people exiting. He saw some looking scared - and he couldn't blame them, considering he had tattoos on his bald head that they could see even if they couldn't see the ones on his arms or chest. Others looked appreciative, boys and girls alike. And he grinned every time he saw one of the sports players thinking so loud he could hear it that they could take him.

The tide of humanity died down to a trickle, and still no Nori. Dwalin shifted in his spot uncomfortably. There were probably other entrances. Who knew how late Nori worked? Nori might not even want to see him. It hadn't been a week since they'd met. But long before he gathered the resolution to leave, he saw a familiar auburn head come out the entrance.

Nori was wearing jeans as well, which made Dwalin feel a little better, but his coat and shoes were far more presentable. His long hair was neat and uncovered, and he carried a bag over one shoulder. Dwalin hailed him and he looked around, startled, before he saw the large man waving. He came over without pause, and the fact made Dwalin grin at him.

"I know you said you were too busy for dates, but I thought you must need a break. We could take a ride and you'll be home before dinner."

Nori looked at him, then at the car, and grinned showing even rows of white teeth. Teeth that had strength in them - Dwalin still had a few bruises. "Is this your way of asking me if I want to drive somewhere remote and have sex in your car?" he asked.

Dwalin hadn't done that for at least twenty years, not since he'd come to terms with the fact that what he was attracted to had nothing in common with the curves Thorin ogled. But with Nori.... "It's not what I had been thinking of," he said.

"Good," the smaller man said firmly. "I hate car sex. And yours doesn't look like it would hold us both." He laughed softly at Dwalin's speechless surprise, then leaned forward to give him a quick kiss. Before Dwalin could recover enough to kiss back, Nori moved away and got into the car, casually tossing his bag in the back.

Dwalin wasn't sure how safely he drove for the next ten minutes because he wanted to shout out loud that the person he was interested in was also interested in him. Nori opened his window despite the January cold and released his hair from its tie. It blew all over, and he leaned his head back and laughed.

The window was closed by the time Dwalin was able to drive like a reasonable adult. They wound down the road, passing farms and rivers and slowly climbing up into the mountains. They talked with the easy amicability they'd had while half drunk, topics ranging all over the place.

They talked about construction and education, and Dwalin found himself somehow agreeing to speak to Nori's students about what they would need educationally if they wanted to go into construction.

"I've never done something like this before," he pointed out.

"Don't worry," Nori told him. "It's not like we can do it until after midterms anyway. It's only another week until they start, so we're caught in review and study guide nightmares. I'll make sure you're ready when you go into it."

"At least tell me about the kids," Dwalin said, glancing over. And Nori smiled and started talking about the emotionally troubled students he worked with with as much affection as Glóin talked about Gimli.

They talked about family. Dwalin knew Nori had lost both parents, and it was all he could do to bite back the offer to share his still living mother. It was far too soon for that. But Nori refused to be upset on their ride and turned to talking about Dori and how he was almost like another parent, even with only six years between them. And then Dwalin had to talk about Balin and his eternal mission to act the loving uncle to every child he represented and get them everything they needed in life.

They talked about music and movies, each caterwauling his favorite song for the other to peals of laughter. They talked about their favorite foods, their favorite beers, their favorite colors and seasons.

And then Nori pointed to a scenic overlook and demanded that they stop and admire it. Dwalin pulled over agreeably and got out of the car, sitting on a rock and looking down into the valley lit by the late afternoon sun. He only had a moment to admire the beauty of it before Nori was in his lap, hands snaking inside his jacket.

"Too cold for outdoor sex," Dwalin pointed out between kisses, arms holding Nori securely where he was.

"Plenty of other things we can do," Nori answered. His arms were twined under and around Dwalin's own, pressing them chest to chest, and he was kneading at Dwalin's shoulders in a very distracting way.

The sunlight was nearly gone by the time they got back into the car to drive home, but they were still very warm. Nori kept a hand lightly on Dwalin's thigh through the drive and talked softly about all the plans he had made for the future and when he had been forced to abandon each of them.

"And your plans now?" Dwalin asked.

Nori looked at him a long moment, brows drawn. "I'm reevaluating them," he said, and that was the last thing spoken during the drive. Nori's hand stayed where it was, though, and the silence was in no way uncomfortable.

Nori leaned across the seat to kiss Dwalin goodbye when they reached his house. "We should do this again next week," he murmured against Dwalin's lips. "I'll need a break from grading."

But the next week was a very different kind of outing. One of Nori's students was in the hospital after a fight escalated to include knives. And another one was in police custody after knifing a classmate.

Nori was near tears of both worry and anger, desperate for both of his boys.

"They aren't bad kids," he said from the other side of the car, voice trembling. He was curled on the seat in a way that Dwalin couldn't have hoped to achieve when he was in elementary school. He swallowed a few times before continuing. "They don't deal well with changes to their schedules. And-- and things are happening at home. But Jackson might never use that arm again, and Peter is old enough to be tried as an adult. They were doing so well!"

Dwalin pulled over, turned off the car, and reached out. Nori came to him instantly, straddling him in the driver's seat and melting into him. Dwalin stroked his hair and just listened while Nori spoke. And when he was finished, they sat and breathed together. Nori's hands were fisted in Dwalin's shirt and Dwalin's rested warm and secure at the nape of his neck and the small of his back.

Dwalin looked out the window, trying to figure out what he could do, and realized they were near his apartment and one of the neighborhood dogs was staring at him. He kicked the door open and manhandled Nori out of the car. The dog was excited to make a new friend, and Nori was breathless with laughter, the edge of sorrow still in his eyes but able to be controlled, when Dwalin draped an arm around him and helped him back into the car.

They were silent on the he drive to Nori's house, but every time Dwalin looked over there was a bitersweet smile on the other man's face. He reached over once the car was parked, taking Nori's fqce in his hands and kissing him, long and slow and thorough, teeth and tongue and lips, his fingers winding in auburn hair and Nori's soft sounds of pleasure in his ears.

"I'll see you next week," he promised. "And I'll be in touch before then. Let me know how you are and how they are."

Nori burrowed close, face against Dwalin's neck. "I'll text," he answered before sliding from the car. And when he looked back before entering the house, he had an honest smile on his face.


	3. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally get that date Dwalin was promised in chapter 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time stamp: mid January, 2013

Dwalin usually managed to be the one to plan a first date. He rarely brought anyone to Bag End, but there were plenty of places around town that he was familiar enough with to not have to struggle with the menu.

But Nori had talked to Dori, who had recommended this little place and here they were. The smells drifting out of the kitchen were promising, but Dwalin was having more trouble with the menu than he'd had in years. It was a single piece of paper folded in thirds, probably printed out from a home computer because the text was small and slightly blurry. He kept trying to read it, but the letters turned into smudges in front of his eyes and then scrambled themselves just to taunt him.

"That sounds good," Nori said, holding his menu down and pointing to an item.

The names were slightly larger than the descriptions and bolded. This one might have had bacon in it, but Dwalin couldn't be certain. He made an agreeable grunt.

"You barely looked at it!" Nori accused.

"I did," Dwalin answered defensively.

Nori blinked at him and Dwalin almost cursed. He was good at hiding his dyslexia, and this time it was more important than ever to not appear weak. He didn't want Nori to think he was stupid or lazy or any of the other things people thought when they found out he was functionally illiterate.

After a moment Nori looked down. "Bacon wrapped shrimp sounds good enough on its own," he said. "And when you add cheesy garlic sauce it just sounds better. I think I'll get mashed potatoes to go with it. That'll mix into the sauce a treat." He glanced up almost coyly. "Can I guess what you'd like?"

Dwalin nodded slowly, putting his menu down and leaning back in challenge, his arms crossed.

Nori smiled at him then examined the menu. "You're a manual laborer. That sounds like a meat and potatoes kind of man. Hm. The pork schnitzel? It comes with mashed potatoes."

What the hell was schnitzel? Dwalin had no idea, so he just shook his head. "I like meat and potatoes well enough, but I like a balance best."

"Balance." The redhead turned to look at a different part of the menu. "Ooh! I have it! Mediterranean chicken salad. Mixed greens, cucumber, green peppers, red onions, olives, pine nuts, and feta cheese with chicken and a creamy garlic dressing. Yes. That's what you're getting. I have spoken."

Dwalin's mouth twisted into a smile. "Well, if you have spoken how can I say no?"

"How indeed?" Nori answered, beaming at him. "And since it's a salad, you'll want to get garlic bread with it. You can share it with me."

"Of course, your majesty," Dwalin said, barking a laugh that made Nori's eyes light up. "And will I be having anything else?"

Nori barely had to think about it. "Me."

Dwalin sucked in a breath. "Not in the restaurant," he said firmly. He wasn't an exhibitionist and besides, there were some things he didn't want others to see.

Nori hummed in apparent disappointment and then ordered for both of them when the waiter appeared. He tucked the menus away, then looked over at Dwalin. "What did Dori want?"

Dwalin shrugged. It had been a bit embarrassing, really. "He was warning me off. Like an older brother does." Like Balin might when he properly introduced them, but he doubted Balin would do it half as well. He'd just be glad Dwalin had someone, the old softy.

Nori seemed to understand. "And you're still out with me? Brave man. Dori's stronger than he looks. Had to fight me out of trouble a few times, so I know." Dwalin raised his brows, and Nori needed no more to go into stories of his misspent youth.

They ate off each other's plates when the food came, leaning across the table and laughing together. Nori talked about all the trouble he'd been as a teenager, parties and drugs, learning he was bi in the middle of all of it. Dwalin talked about football and the awkwardness of not being interested in the cheerleaders. They all liked him because he didn't have wandering hands like his cousin did, and that made his senior year a series of awkward conversations. Nori laughed and laughed when he heard about it.

Dwalin was fast enough to get the check when it came, but Nori dropped a tip on the table before he could even go for his wallet. He raised his brows, almost daring Dwalin to comment. He didn't, just paid and slipped on his coat to go.  
"Dori's home, so we'd best go to your place," Nori said as he slid into the car.

Confirmation that he'd been serious if Dwalin needed it. He nodded and started the car, making the drive back to his apartment in record time despite the frozen streets. Nori's fingers wound around his as they took the stairs and climbed to the second floor apartment.

"Beer?" Dwalin offered.

Nori shook his head. "I want to be sober this time."

The smile he gave Dwalin was full of so much lust that Dwalin was amazed his clothes didn't spontaneously combust. He kicked out of his boots, dropped his coat on the floor, and lifted Nori clean off his feet to bring him into the bedroom.

It wasn't as wild this time. They were sober and they knew each other, knew basic preferences, had an idea of how they fit together. They didn't have to figure that out this time. Dwalin remembered that last time at the party it had been good, but this time was _so much better_. There was so much more of _Nori_ that he recognized. Nori's strong arms holding him close. Nori's breath panting in his ear. Nori's teeth biting bruises on his neck. Nori's legs wrapped around him.

And at the end he was allowed to carry Nori to the bath and climb in with him. Nori leaned into him, both folded tightly into the tub. They kissed, hands moving over each other's bodies without much intent. They were neither of them ready for more, but the idea of not touching one another was unthinkable.

Dwalin woke in the morning pinned to the bed with long, red hair in his face. He cradled Nori close, steadying him with a hand at the small of his back under the blankets. And he remained awake and unmoving for almost two hours, listening contentedly to the sound of Nori's snuffling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The restaurant was modeled off my favorite one in my old home. (I miss it horribly. The restaurant, I mean.) Both of their orders are things my wife got when we went there.
> 
> Also, this sort of goes into my thoughts on Darves and food. We know Ori doesn't like vegetables - he says as much. But if you look at the party at Bag End, they' ex cleaned out Bilbo's pantry. That means they have veggies, and if you look at the table when they pan down it you can see plates of roasted veggies. The problem was that all the Elves gave them was salad. I mean, where's the protein? Where are the carbs? What kind of vegan raw food diet is this? (Note: I have nothing against vegans or raw food eaters, I'm just not one of them. And neither are the Dwarves.)


End file.
